“We must increase the knowledge of village officials and residents on how to prevent, mitigate, and adapt to climate-related challenges,” the ministry's Director General of Disadvantaged Regions Development Acceleration, Samsul Widodo, said here on Monday.
He made this statement when speaking during a webinar titled "Building Climate-Just and Energy-Independent Villages through Optimizing Village Regulations".
Widodo highlighted that recurring natural disasters not only claim lives but also destroy public infrastructure in villages.
“Every year, the village fund is used to build roads, irrigation systems, and clean water facilities. Then come landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions, and these facilities are destroyed, only to be rebuilt the following year,” he explained.
Without proper education and awareness, he said, rural communities will continue to face similar losses. Hence, he stressed that climate change education should become an important part of village governance.
Through its Directorate of Natural Resources and Environmental Development Harmonization, the Ministry is committed to enhancing climate literacy and supporting villages in prevention and adaptation efforts.
The ministry has outlined several action plans to realize President Prabowo Subianto’s sixth Astacita or main mission, which is developing from the village level to ensure equitable economic distribution and poverty alleviation.
These include revitalizing village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), achieving energy and water self-sufficiency, and downstreaming local product as well as realizing villages that can export local products.
Those programs also include involving the youth, digitizing villages, expanding tourism, boosting investment both from the country and overseas, and fostering climate resilience and disaster preparedness.
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Translator: Tri, Kenzu
Editor: Primayanti
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